Daddy's Hands
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: A impoverished lone wolf has moved into the Columbia Basin with his young daughter. How will Adam handle this situation? What changes will the presence of this new wolf bring?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Don't own Mercy Thompson Series

 **Daddy's Hands**

Collin Phelps sighed jadedly as he looked over the tiny apartment he shared with his young daughter. It was all he could afford, and it wasn't in good shape, in fact it was a slum. He hated that he had to take his daughter away from her mother but it had become clear that as hard as it was for him, it was the right thing for her. He more recently got word that her mother had died from the addictions that caused him to take her and felt even worse with the knowledge that any hope of his daughter having a relationship with her mother was lost to her forever. He could only hope that one day he would find a new mate who would accept Nicole as a stepdaughter she was a good kid that needed a mom in her life.

Nicole sat in the middle of the living room floor playing with the few toys he had managed to take with them when they moved from Walla Walla to Pasco. He hadn't managed to take many but those toys she had seemed to be plenty for her. She had little memory of living anywhere else and he was relieved she would likely never remember what he had seen as her mother's addiction to OxyContin got out of control.

Collin was a werewolf and he was worried that the local pack alpha would take offence to him being in his territory. He had gone through the proper channels to let the alpha, Adam Hauptman know he was living in the territory as a lone wolf with a young child. He had yet to hear from Hauptman and he figured that perhaps he would never hear from him. He was taking his daughter to her preschool class when his old Volkswagen Golf sputtered and died. Collin did his best to hold in his swear words as he got out of the car and popped the hood only to be reminded of the fact that he had no idea how to service cars.

He swore quietly as he realized he was stuck, he couldn't afford a tow truck his job at the stop and rob didn't pay much and he had to make sure his daughter had food on the table.

He had vowed to her that he would do everything in his power to make sure she didn't go hungry. Even if that meant hiring a cheap babysitter so that he could 'go to the store, which actually meant him shifting to wolf while out of earshot and hunting for meat. Taking care of was always the most expensive part of their grocery bill. Here he didn't know anyone so he didn't have the luxury of hiring a babysitter to watch her while he hunted and his budget felt the strain.

He looked up as an old diesel rabbit pulled up behind his car and threw on its hazard lights. A woman got out and Collin mused that she smelled like coyote, but didn't say anything. He wasn't going to insult a potential helper.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"No… I don't know what's happening with this old thing." He replied.

"Do you mind if I take a look, German cars are something of a specialty of mine," She smiled then leaned under the hood to get a better look at the problem engine.

"Sure, go ahead…" he replied not sure this woman could do anything to help but not willing to play the sexist and say anything.

"I'm Collin by the way…" he said as the sound of a fussing child pulled both of them from the awkward moment.

"Excuse me, let me get her." Collin said and stepped around the vehicle.

Mercy watched as Collin walked around the vehicle, and pulled a four-year-old girl from the back seat and carried her around to the front on his hip.

"She's cute" Mercy commented with a smile then went back to looking at the Golf's engine, moving wires and hoses looking for anything obviously wrong.

"I can't say for certain I'd need to get it back to my garage to get a better look." She said. "The name is Mercy by the way." She added almost as an afterthought.

"I can't afford to pay you; we're barely scraping by as it is." He sighed

A sympathetic look crossed Mercy's face.

"I'll work out a deal with you so we can get this thing going." She offered, "Would it be too hard for you to pay small payments every time you get paid?"

"That depends on the payment." He replied the scent of his shame matched the scent of werewolf coming off him.

Mercy sighed he was a lone wolf, no pack she could think of would let a member struggle this way, especially a member with a very young 'pup' to take care of. Adam especially was sympathetic to the plight of, what she assumed to be, a single parent, given the fact that he had been a single parent himself. She didn't mention it aloud but once Collin was out of earshot she would call Adam and let him know that he might want to look into the new lone wolf in the area as he might be in need of assistance.

She called in a tow truck and the driver obliged in taking it back to the garage after Collin got Nicole's booster seat out. He and Nicole got in the rabbit with Mercy who kindly took them back home. He would have to call the school and tell them Nicole wouldn't be able to make it and arrange for the bus to pick her up until his car was fixed.

Mercy was on the highway after dropping the family off when she decided it was time to call Adam. He answered on the third ring.

"Mercy, what's going on?"

"Not much," she said not able to hide the worry in her tone. "I just met up with that new lone wolf Bran told us about… he's not doing too good."

"His control is waning?" Adam assumed.

Mercy gave a jaded sigh "If only his problems were that easily fixed," she let out a breath before continuing "He's a single father with a young daughter and they're barely scraping by…"

By the time Mercy was finished she could tell Adam had caught on to what she was trying to ask him to do.

"I'll go talk to him;" he replied "Sounds like he might not be such a hard sell if he thinks joining the pack will help him provide for his daughter."

Collin sighed as he looked at Nicole who he had just put down for a nap; it had been a couple of hours since Mercy had kindly dropped them off at his apartment. He hated this place, the smell of mold made him fear for his daughter's health, but he couldn't do anything about it. He had complained to management and the owners until he was blue in the face but it got him nowhere.

The sound of an expensive engine caught his attention and he moved to the living room of the one room apartment closing the door to the bedroom so talking to this person wouldn't wake Nicole. The scent of alpha wolf caught him off guard and he swore to himself, the local alpha couldn't have picked a worse time to show up. He was terrified that his application to live in the area had been rejected

To Be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Adam took a deep breath as he approached the front door of the apartment and the smell of mold nearly knocked him off his feet. He couldn't believe any werewolf could stand to live here, but he understood that in Collin's situation he didn't have many better options. The smell of fear also hit him, he didn't quite understand what the younger man had to fear but he braced himself anyway and knocked on the door. It opened and Adam was shocked at how beaten down Collin looked.

"Come in," Collin moved out of the way never meeting Adam's eyes due to shame and the knowledge that he was nowhere near as dominant as Adam. "Just please try to keep quiet, I just put my daughter down for a nap."

"No problem" Adam replied softly, he understood that waking her from her nap was not a good idea. He noticed that Collin didn't look at him and the smell of the other man's shame had Adam worried about him. He didn't know this man's story but he knew it couldn't be easy to be a single father to such a young child, being a single father wasn't easy with a daughter of any age, but it was especially hard when the child was so young.

"Collin… where do I even begin…" Adam wondered not expecting the more submissive wolf to answer.

"You could tell me how you knew where to find me and why you waited this long to have this conversation." Collin suggested, but there was no commanding force behind the suggestion.

"I figured you were no threat to the pack or my daughter; given you have such a young child of your own." Adam started his posture casual in hopes to show that he meant Collin and his daughter no harm. "I came now because a friend gave me a tip that you might need help… I came to offer it."

"It was the mechanic woman, Mercy, wasn't it?" Collin asked, his back turned and head down in shame.

"Yes, she is my mate… she was worried about you and your daughter." Adam admitted, "To be honest I'm a little concerned myself."

Adam had observed from the moment he arrived that Collin was thin for a werewolf of his height and it wasn't the lean, athletic build that wolves like Warren sported. It was an unhealthy type of thin: common in wolves that suffered severe injury recently or didn't get enough to eat. Given all the other clues Adam was banking on the latter. He had no reports of wolf fights in or around his territory which lead him to the theory that Collin had not eaten enough likely to make sure his daughter had enough to eat.

"How would you help me…" Collin asked sharply "… I'm not some charity case… I don't want handouts."

"I know," Adam replied his voice calm and level in an attempt to calm the other wolf down "I didn't come to treat you that way; I would never insult you like that… I came to offer you a place in my pack…"

That brought Collin up short, he had never expected that, the last alpha whose territory he was in had seemed more inclined to want to run him out rather than help him.

"I've seen your record Collin, you were a great Marine and it's a shame you don't have more help than you do. I want to change that… help you get back on your feet so you can take care of that little girl in there." Adam took care to keep his voice low so not to wake the child. "In my pack you would have no shortage of wolves that would be more than happy to drop everything to help you take care of your daughter. We would help you make sure she never went without."

Adam watched as Collin's eyes landed on the bedroom door where his daughter lay sleeping.

"You don't know how hard it is for me to admit that I can't do this on my own anymore." He sighed, "It's been hard since…" Collin hesitated to continue; it was hard for him to talk about Nicole's mom, Lorna and the circumstances surrounding their split and her death.

Collin's eyes filled with sorrow as he looked away from the door.

"Just think of how much better her life will be." Adam supplied giving Collin's shoulder a squeeze as a weak voice called out for her daddy pulling the two wolves' attention to the wide-open bedroom door where a little blonde girl with bright green eyes stood holding a well-loved teddy bear.

"I think I woke her up, I'm sorry." Adam sighed as Collin went to his daughter.

Adam looked over the little girl as Collin spoke to her, and even he had to admit she was cute. Her hair hung in ringlet curls that just brushed her shoulders, and her cheeks were still puffy with baby fat giving her an almost cherubic appearance. Her emerald green eyes were still hazy with sleep but he figured they were usually bright with curiosity about the world around her. She was nothing short of adorable.

It was obvious that, while Collin didn't often eat as well as he ought, his daughter never went hungry, and Adam figured that was on purpose. Collin would instinctively want to protect his daughter even at the expense of his own health and wellbeing. Adam figured given an hour most of the wolves in his pack would be putty in her tiny hand. He only gave Samuel Cornick two minutes maximum before he was completely wrapped around her little finger.

"Who is he?" she asked nervously as Collin picked her up.

"This is Adam, he… he's my friend." Collin said.

Adam could tell Collin wasn't so sure about calling them friends but it seemed the child didn't seem to notice that insecurity; a fact that both men were grateful for.

"Can you tell him your name?" Collin prompted.

She hid her face in her father's shoulder bashfully but still answered.

"Nicole," She said looking from her dad's shoulder with a cute smile.

Adam caught it but he was sure that, had he been human he would have had to ask Collin to clarify what she had said.

Collin laughed slightly at his daughter's shyness.

"She isn't usually this timid." He explained.

"We just woke her up, give her time." Adam smiled.

"True," Collin agreed then took a deep breath.

"Adam I don't know what I can do for her, this place…" He continued.

Collin didn't have to tell Adam that the apartment was a health hazard for Nicole, the alpha wolf was already well aware of that fact. Adam listened to what the younger wolf had to say, he knew that this needed to come out.

"If I do join your pack you promise you'll help me get her out of this place and to some place healthy." Collin seemed desperate.

"Yes, I'll make sure you and your daughter have a healthy environment, even if that means it's in my home." Adam replied.

"I could never impose…" Collin started to say.

"Collin, you would be a member of my pack… my family… and that's the thing people do for family." Adam countered cutting him off mid-sentence. "They open their doors and share what they have. I have a large home so I'm willing to give you shelter and help you find a job that will pay better so you can be independent if you want it." Adam paused "No, if you're joining the pack you aren't spending a moment longer than you have to in this place…"

"But… my lease…" Collin was in shock at what Adam said.

"I'll pay it off, don't worry about it," Adam replied.

Collin took a breath to protest but then thought better of it.

"Okay… let me pack some things and I'll be ready to go." Collin said.

"I'll watch her." Adam offered reaching out to take Nicole, to him it seemed like only yesterday Jesse was that size an a small part of him missed that.

"Nicole, will you stay with Mr. Adam while I get our things ready to go."

Nicole seemed to think for a moment then nodded.

Collin seemed reluctant to hand Nicole over to Adam but as Adam settled on the couch with her he realized Adam knew more about handling young children than he had given the alpha wolf credit for.

By the time Collin had gotten back Adam was listening as Nicole told him stories about her preschool adventures. It was odd to him to see an alpha wolf take interest in this but he seemed like he did but then again Collin figured he was putting on a show for Nicole's benefit.

"How old are your kids?" Collin asked.

"My only child just turned sixteen," Adam replied, "How did you know I had any?"

"Men who are parents often have a way with young children that those that have never handled them don't have. Granted, I could have been wrong and you were just a good uncle, but I really doubted it." Collin replied.

They got into Adam's truck and started to his home. About halfway there Adam noticed that Nicole had gone silent, he looked at her in the rear-view mirror as they sat at a red light and smiled as he realized she had fell asleep.

They arrived at the house and Collin got Nicole out of her seat as Adam grabbed one of their bags and started towards the house as Collin followed him.

To Be Continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Adam let Collin get in front of him and get to the door first so he could get Nicole into bed as quick as possible. He was surprised when the door opened for him without him knocking or even touching the door.

"Thanks Jesse" Adam said coming up behind Collin he had planned on opening the door for the younger werewolf but his daughter beat him to it. "Can you show him to one of the guest rooms where he can put his daughter down to sleep."

"Sure, dad" Jesse replied.

Adam got into the living room and noticed that Darryl and Auriele were still there.

"We thought it wouldn't be a good idea to leave Jesse by herself." Auriele admitted honestly and Adam had to concede that she was right.

"Who is he?" Darryl asked looking at the new arrival as he followed Jesse to the guest bedrooms.

"His name is Collin Phelps and he's joining the pack." Adam replied then told Darryl and Auriele his story as he knew it. He wasn't sure why Nicole's mother wasn't in the picture, he just knew that she wasn't there. He figured if Collin wanted them to know he would tell them eventually.

"There is a lot I don't know right now, but that will take time to get out." Adam continued.

Collin had got the other bag and put the bags in the room where Nicole lay asleep then returned to talk to the preexisting pack members. He had seen very few wolves in the room but he had heard from the Marrok that there were about 30 wolves in Adam's pack give or take

"I hear you're joining the pack." Darryl said as Adam went to call Warren and the other pack members to set up a meeting to welcome Collin into the pack.

"Yes, I just... I haven't been in a pack since before Nicole was born... she isn't familiar with anything to do with being part of a pack." Collin sighed.

"Don't worry about it, she'll have plenty of understanding teachers." Auriele smiled warmly "She's only four so she isn't expected to know how to act within a pack yet, even the sternest of wolves won't expect that of her." Auriele paused "The pack is likely going to spoil her a bit... or some members will if you let them"

A strange look crossed Collin's face.

"She's so adorable and she'll be the youngest child in the pack, don't worry about it they won't go against your wishes for her." Auriele assured him though secretly she wondered if there would be any stopping the whirlwind known as Kyle Brooks once he got a look at her as she figured he and Warren would both melt in front of the cherub like face of that little girl.

Adam came back and informed them that there would be a pack meeting in a few hours. They all noticed Collin's fear rise at the announcement. They understood why he felt that way his little girl was going to be surrounded by lots of strange wolves, they would have had a lot of questions if he had reacted any differently to the situation.

"Don't worry, there isn't a place in the world your daughter would be safer than in a house full of werewolves." Darryl assured him calmly.

"He's right and not only that you'll be pack in a few hours meaning they'll all be ready, willing and able to protect her." Adam added sitting on the couch in the living room as Mercy entered the house.

"Collin..." she was slightly surprised to see him. She had hoped he would agree to join the pack, she just didn't realize that Adam would work this quickly to get him in, she guessed it was to get the support structure in place for Nicole who desperately needed stability as there were rumors that someone was on the verge of calling CPS because of how they moved around due to evictions. Now no one could call, he had a stable roof over their heads thanks to Adam.

"He's staying here for a while." Adam told her and she nodded in reply. She hadn't brought it up but the smell of mold in the apartment had her sneezing for several minutes after she left there in an attempt to get the smell from her nose.

"Welcome, the pack." Mercy shook his hand politely then took a seat beside Adam and Collin noticed that she leaned into Adam's side as he put his arm around her so that had her scent not told him she was his mate, their actions would.

"Yes," he replied "Thank you".

The adults spent the next hour getting to know each other, and somewhere in there Warren, Tommy and Ben both arrived at the house and joined in the conversation.

Tommy was starting towards the kitchen when he noticed a little girl coming out of one of the bedrooms looking like she had just woke up.

"Who are you?" she asked as she rubbed at her eyes, he noticed she didn't immediately get scared by his presence she just became curious.

"My name is Tommy." he replied kneeling down to her level.

"Do you know where my daddy is?" she asked.

"What's your daddy's name?" he asked

"Collin Phelps..." she said sounding more as if she were reciting it than she was ever used to calling him that, Tommy didn't think too much of it as most children didn't call their parents by name on a regular basis.

Tommy noticed Collin coming as Nicole said his name.

"He's right there" Tommy smiled pointing towards Collin.

"Daddy, where are we?" she asked

Collin explained to her that they were at Adam's house and would be staying there for a while until they could get a nice place of their own. Adam had told Collin that he had no problem with Nicole playing outside since his property was fenced in and the neighbors they knew would be more than happy to help keep watch over her. He also said if Collin ever saw her playing with a white werewolf or coyote he shouldn't worry, the white werewolf was the Marrok's son Samuel who loved children, the coyote was Adam's mate Mercy she didn't love children as much as Samuel but she would shift and play with them if given half the chance.

"How about we see about getting you some lunch?" Collin suggested to Nicole who nodded her agreement.

Nicole smiled and followed her father into the kitchen. Adam had informed him that he was welcome to anything in the kitchen for himself or her so Collin went to making her lunch while Tommy got a drink and just watched.

This annoyed Tommy who could tell Collin was underfed and likely very hungry.

"Collin get something to eat, you're welcome to anything in this kitchen and you need to keep up your strength if you're going to keep up with her." Tommy said allowing a little bit of his authority as a more dominant wolf to slide into his voice. "I'll keep watch over your daughter while you eat."

Collin hesitated but then went to fix himself some lunch. He knew he needed to eat and try to gain back the weight he had lost but it wouldn't be easy, it took effort to put weight on a werewolf. He stopped suddenly as the scent of a strange wolf drifted to him, it was a dominant male and the first thing his instincts told him was to get Nicole as far from the intruder as possible, but he pushed that part down, he was part of a pack now, he would have to get used to dominant males coming around Nicole. He looked over his shoulder to see a man with shaggy brown hair and brilliant blue eyes looking Nicole over with some interest.

"Hi, might I ask who you are and why you're so interested in my daughter?"

He wondered why Tommy hadn't said anything about the new arrival, maybe he was a pack member or a trusted friend of the pack.

"Oh, I'm Dr. Samuel Cornick, she's adorable." the man replied.

Collin let his shoulders fall, the man was a doctor and probably trying to asses her health.

"She's a handful, those curls can be a pain to take care of but she's more than worth it." Collin admitted.

"Have you found a pediatrician around here? I can recommend someone if you haven't." Samuel offered.

"I haven't been able to afford a doctor or anything else and she needs vaccines before she starts Kindergarten next year." Collin admitted.

Adam overheard this as he entered the room; that was unacceptable.

"Samuel can you get the information for that pediatrician we will need to set up an appointment for a checkup as soon as possible," he turned to Collin "The pack will cover her medical expenses no strings attached and I will accept no protest. I want to do all I can to help you raise your daughter to be as healthy as she can be."

Collin had opened his mouth to protest when Adam cut him off with the 'no protest' comment.

"Sure I'll bring the information by tomorrow." Samuel replied "They're going to love the woman I'm recommending them to; she's been in practice for a while and has the type of personality that children just love."

Samuel didn't say it aloud but he figured if the woman were to become a werewolf she would be an omega.

"Thank you." Collin added as that was pretty much all he could say "both of you, I could never do this on my own and you have no idea how hard that is to admit."

"Remember what I said, pack takes care of their own." Adam said softly "Once we get you into the pack we'll modify one of the guest bedrooms so she'll have her own room and you'll be next door to her. Honey and her mate Peter are looking at bedroom furniture geared towards children her age as we speak, I trust them to get something good and with Honey making the design choices don't be surprised if it is something fit for a princess." Adam warned Collin.

Collin wasn't sure what to say to that suggestion but he wanted her to have that, wanted her to feel like the little princess he felt she was. On his own he could never give get what he thought she deserved, he could barely feed her on some days.

They all started to the basement, Samuel had volunteered to sit with Nicole as they ran through the ceremony to bring Collin into the pack.

The magic built in the room as the ceremony began.

"Look me in the eyes with no offense taken or meant, Collin Andrew Phelps" Adam said

"I see you, Adam Alexander Hauptman, Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack"

"Will you join us, to hunt, to fight, to live and run?"

"Under the moon, I will hunt, fight, live and run with you and yours who shall be mine."

The magic was building through the room and Collin was on edge, it had been years since he was in a pack and he looked forward to the bonds forming and having the support that only comes from a pack.

"We claim you" Darryl said, handing a knife to Adam as his sentiment echoed through the room

"I claim you, alpha's flesh and blood you shall be, mine to me and mine, pack." Adam said after cutting a bit of flesh from his arm, after he spoke he handed that to Collin who ate it.

"Yours to you, mine to me."

The familiar burn ripped through Collin as the bonds formed and then he could feel them so strong around him and his wolf wanted to howl his joy that they could relish in the support of a pack and have that to help them with their pup.

"Welcome to the pack, Collin," Adam smiled.

"Thank you, Adam, for everything," Collin replied.

They headed back upstairs and found Samuel laying on the floor with Nicole with coloring books and crayons that neither Adam nor Collin recognized. They would later learn that Samuel picked them up on his way over to Adam's house.

"Can you believe he is the Marrok's oldest son?" Adam asked a chuckle coloring his voice.

"I'm going to be honest, I wouldn't have believed it, I've only met one of the Marrok's sons and I'm going to be honest he was one scary wolf."

"Then you got to meet my little brother, Charles Cornick." Samuel said not looking up. "Trust me he isn't as bad normally as he has to be when he's on the hunt. "

"He was shockingly pretty tolerant with Nicole." Collin replied.

"Mr. Cornick was strange, he was so serious… but he protected me" Nicole said.

"The Alpha of the pack whose territory we left had little tolerance for children or lone wolves. She ended up on his bad side and your brother got in the way… probably saved my baby's life. There is no way I can repay Charles for that." Collin admitted.

"I think just knowing someone sees him as a hero would be payment enough for Charles." Samuel replied.

"For him, maybe, but not for me; Nicole is my life… I probably would have lost it if I lost her… if I lost her he would have likely had to…" Collin let the thought hang in the air but Samuel knew where he was going with it. Had Nicole died that day Collin would have likely lost control of his wolf and Charles would have had to kill him as well.

To Be Continued…


	4. Chapter 4

Collin finished his shift the next day and was surprised to see Warren enter the stop and rob he worked for along with someone he wasn't familiar with.

"Gunnery Sergeant Collin Phelps, my name is Nicholas Carter I work for the Kennewick Police Department." the other man said "Before you say anything I know that you wish to keep as safe as you can for your daughter's sake and I can understand that, I'm asking you to be a trainer for our SWAT sharpshooters."

Collin looked at Warren then Nicholas.

"What responsibilities will that job contain?" Collin asked curious about what he would be asked to do.

"You will be in charge of teaching men and women the art of sharpshooting for SWAT, you won't be in the field at any time; you will get full medical, optical and dental insurance for you and your young daughter." Nicholas smiled "You will be making somewhere in the neighborhood of double what you currently make."

Collin had to seriously think about the offer, he looked Nicholas over and saw his badge on his chest. He smelled as most cops did of gunpowder and other things cops came into contact with on a daily basis. He didn't know if this man had the authority to give him this position but the truth was double his current salary sounded amazing.

"This is a big decision, here is my card, Sargent, let me know when you decide." Nicholas said, nodded to Warren, then left.

Collin turned to Warren.

"What was that about?"

"Adam made some calls and learned that the SWAT sniper school was in need of experienced instructors and recommended you. They got ahold of your service record and found you would be the perfect candidate." Warren explained; he understood that Collin needed this better job but was suspicious because it seemed to come out of the blue.

"That… that sounds like a better job than what I've got here and I'm not talking about the huge paycheck, which sounds amazing it means I can feed my daughter, put a roof over her head… give her everything she needs… I mean I still need help; babysitters… I can't imagine not being in the pack anymore. I forgot how good it felt to have a pack surrounding me. That job sounds a lot safer than here where we could be robbed at any moment."

"I know how you feel, I went quite a while as a lone wolf, then Adam let me in and… and I can't imagine going lone again." Warren confided. "Do you need a ride to pick up Nicole from school?"

"Yes, I do, but Adam has the booster seat." Collin replied

"My partner is a divorce lawyer who keeps supplies for anything his clients might need… including at least 2 booster seats, one for a boy one for a girl, which I've got in my truck." Warren replied.

"That helps a lot." Collin smiled as he and Warren walked to Warren's vehicle and got in.

Collin noticed that the tag that was in Adam's car was now in Warren's truck.

"Oh yeah, I got that from the boss before I came here, Kyle put the seat in before I left otherwise I would have gotten hers from Adam." Warren turned he truck on and they started out of the parking lot.

"Kyle wants to meet her." Warren said casually as they drove towards the school. Adam had pulled some strings so that Nicole didn't have to change schools until the end of the school year.

"I'm always a little concerned about her meeting new werewolves." Collin sighed.

"Kyle is as human as she is." Warren replied "and you're going to have to get over that since she'll be meeting a lot of new wolves in the pack."

"They're different, that's pack… my pack, I trust my pack with her, they are my family and if you can't trust family who can you trust." Collin replied.

"Very good question" Warren replied looking out over the highway, it wouldn't take long to get to Nicole from school and get back to Adam's house where Collin and Nicole were living currently. He knew the pack had Nicole and Collin's rooms prepared for them, Collin had no idea what his daughter's furniture looked like, and was unaware that the pack members had bought her more toys and clothes.

Collin got out of the truck and walked up to get Nicole who ran up and hugged him around the neck when he squatted down to grab her.

"Daddy!" she said happily.

"How did you like school today?" she asked

Nicole laughed and told him that she had fun and launched into a whole story about a game she played with one of her friends as he walked with her to Warren's truck.

Warren caught the tail end of her story and couldn't help laugh as he listened to her. Nicole had brought a whole new life and energy to the pack but then again children often did that.

They arrived at the house and Mercy met them at the door to show them the new rooms. She opened the door to Nicole's new bedroom and Collin gasped in surprise.

"Is this mine?" Nicole asked innocently.

"Yes... yes princess, this is yours." Collin assured her.

It took a few minutes for Collin to take everything in. There was a white four poster bed in the center of the room with pink sheets and pink and white curtains all around the bed giving it a royal feel. The dresser matched the bed and there was a toy box filled with toys.

Collin fell to his knees at the edge of his daughter's bed, his eyes filled with tears.

"Don't be sad, daddy." Nicole said not understanding that people cried for other reasons than being sad.

"Daddy isn't sad, princess, he's happy." Collin said hugging Nicole in his arms "You've got such a wonderful room in a safe home."

"Mercy, I can't thank you and Adam enough for what you've done for us." Colin said to Mercy.

"It's no problem Collin, that's what family does, also got her some warm clothes for winter." Mercy added

"Thank you, I was worried about how I was going to provide that for her." Collin told Mercy as he watched Nicole go through the box of toy and pull out a teddy bear.

He smiled at her as she sat the bear beside her and began to play with outer toys that she had pulled out of the box.

"I... I don't have any words to say about this, I... thank you, Mercy"

"You're welcome, Collin, you're very welcome." Mercy replied as they left the room to let Nicole play and explore her new bedroom.

She showed him the room next door which held a modern style black bedroom set.

"You... you didn't have to do this for me, I was fine with the set that was in here." Collin protested.

"Collin, you need something to call your own and this is our gift to you." Mercy explained.

"Thank you so much, I don't know how to repay you but I will find a way to do just that."

"You don't need to do that." Mercy countered.

"I know, but I want to." Collin replied

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Collin was shocked at how well the pack received Nicole and himself. They all seemed to genuinely want to help him tend to her needs however big or small they may be.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Dr. Bobbie Morgan hadn't been married long when her husband died in a traffic accident. She had done her best to move on with her life and a big part of it was getting her own practice in Kennewick.

She entered the exam room and saw Collin holding Nicole in his lap. Samuel had told her that Collin regularly went hungry before he joined the pack to make sure Nicole had enough to eat. She had to admire him for that, for doing what had to be done for his daughter. Though she could tell he had suffered for his commitment.

"Hi I'm Bobbie Morgan," she offered him a handshake and he accepted.

"Dr. Cornick didn't give me a lot to go on, any family history you know of from her mom's side?" Bobbie asked sitting at the computer.

"I think her mother had a family history of cancer. I'm not sure." Collin sighed.

"Are you separated from her mom?" Bobbie asked.

"You could say that, we were separated when her mother..."

Bobbie's mouth formed an O as it dawned on her that Nicole's mother was likely dead. She didn't press for a cause of death as she didn't think it was something he wanted to discuss with her. She knew Collin was a werewolf; her grandfather was a werewolf in Aspen Creek so she knew werewolves and she figured his alpha needed to know that he was bottling things that might compromise his control over his wolf.

In the end she found nothing wrong with Nicole and gave her the needed shots along with the nasal mist version of the seasonal flu shot.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Adam was shocked that evening when he got a message from Bobbie that he might want to look into how Collin's wife died. She didn't think he killed her but she thought there was something about it that bothered him.

Before Adam could go to him with his concerns though; Collin went to speak with Mercy about the issues he had been facing. He felt like he needed to talk to someone and she seemed as good an option as anyone.

"Mercy I... I need to talk with you about something I don't normally talk about." He said sitting next to her in the kitchen.

"What is it?" She prompted.

"Nicole's mom and... and how she died." He sighed.

Mercy made some real hot chocolate and sat with him.

"My wife was so happy at first after Nicole was born, she had always wanted to be a mom, but after she was injured in an accident everything changed. She became addicted to the pain killers and started pushing Nicole away like nothing, not even her own daughter mattered more than the pills. I... I had to do something I couldn't convince her she had a problem and it was becoming unsafe to leave Nicole with her for any length of time. It was as a last resort that I packed myself and Nicole up and moved out..."

Mercy didn't press him to say more.

He took a sip of cocoa before deciding to continue.

"It was the day after Nicole's third birthday that I got the call that Nicole's mother had overdosed on OxyContin and died. Coroner placed time of death around 7 pm the evening before." He paused trying to keep the emotions at bay "I wonder if she did it on purpose because she couldn't be there for Nicole's birthday, if I hadn't taken Nicole would her mom still be here."

Mercy was stunned; she had no idea that Collin had seen so much.

"You did what you had to for Nicole, that wasn't the type of environment she needed and you knew that." Adam said from the kitchen door having heard the whole conversation from the next room. "Nothing that happened after that is your fault, you were trying to protect your child, keeping her in with her mom was exposing her to things she didn't need to be around."

"They could never tell if it was an accident or suicide and... And that's what bothers me." Collin admitted looking into his cocoa as if it held all the answers. "Thus I'm here, I considered going to Aspen Creek but... What kind of life would we have there?"

"I grew up there; it was a good place, safe..." Mercy said.

"With this job I think I'll give this area a chance." Collin smiled but the smile never quite reached his eyes which saddened Mercy. "I do need to put some names up at the school in case I can't pick up Nicole. I spoke to Warren he said I could add him but I need one more."

"Add me..." Mercy said giving his wrist a squeeze.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Kyle wasn't sure about going to pack breakfast but Warren insisted that he go. Kyle was very curious about the young family that had joined the pack; it was a single father and his daughter. Their story had sounded like something he wanted to know about. He knew that single parents had a hard time and to learn that drug addiction had been a factor in the separation had made it that much worse for everyone involved.

They arrived and Kyle's eyes were instantly drawn to a little girl with blonde curls sitting at the kitchen counter with a werewolf who still looked as if he could afford to gain a few pounds. She was nothing short of adorable and Kyle had to stop himself from running over and scooping her up like a teddy bear as he was sure her werewolf father wouldn't appreciate that.

"Kyle this is Collin and Nicole." Warren introduced.

Collin greeted Kyle politely, Nicole gave a cute smile but she was too preoccupied with a mouthful of French toast to speak.

Collin watched Kyle warily for a moment then calmed when he realized his daughter was safe and if she wasn't the other wolves would be on edge as well. Kyle was as human as Nicole was and it seemed he was taken by the adorable cherubic face; as so many before him ended up.

He took a seat next to Collin with his cup of coffee to wait until his food was ready.

"It's nice to meet you, Warren told me a little about you already, I just want to let you know that if you or your daughter need anything feel free to let either of us know and we'll be more than happy to help." Kyle said a genuine smile on his features.

"Thanks, this… joining this pack has been overwhelming to say the least." Collin admitted.

"I know how you feel." Tommy agreed as he took the seat next to Nicole.

Collin had learned Thomas, "Tommy" to his friends, was a teacher at the local high school. His field of study had been paleontology and in which he had a doctorate. He had been turned against his will about a year earlier and had been cut off from friends and family by the false rumor that they had to maintain that he had perished. Word was going around the pack that they were going to break silence soon and let his friends and family know he was still alive.

Collin had a bad feeling this wasn't going to go well for Tommy and he prayed that those that loved him could forgive him for the lies he was forced to tell. He saw that Tommy was a good man from the way he treated the pack and more so by the way he handled Nicole. He was one of the wolves that didn't mind watching her or doing activities such as coloring with her when she asked him to. She also took a liking to him which had Collin concerned that it would break her heart if/when Tommy decided to leave the Tri-Cities to move back to California.

"Daddy…" Nicole didn't look at him. This made Collin concerned as to what was running through the young girl's mind. He knew she had yet to really learn how to filter what came out of her mouth so he was worried what might come out in this question.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked.

"Am I going to get to have a birthday party this year?" she asked her eyes never leaving her plate.

To Be Continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Collin's heart broke and everyone, even those without werewolf hearing, could have heard a pin drop when Nicole's innocent question rang through the air. Collin wanted to crawl in a hole and die, he knew everyone in the room would understand why a birthday party had not been possible with his budget being what it had been, but that didn't keep him from feeling like a terrible father.

Collin didn't know how to answer the question but he was saved when Warren said he wouldn't hear of her not having one. A sentiment Tommy, Kyle, Auriele and several wolves he didn't know very well all agreed to. She was going to have a party this year.

"What would you like for your birthday?" Tommy asked Nicole as Warren prodded about when her birthday was, what her interests were and about if she had friends in her Pre-Kindergarten class, which she did.

Nicole thought about it for a moment and answered that she wanted a new dress. This prompted Tommy to push further with a response that she could have whatever she wanted. He could see her thinking; he figured it was hard because she had already been given so many things she never dreamed she could ever have. She seemed once again hesitant to ask. Tommy gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"We can't get you what you want for your birthday if you don't tell us." He pointed out gently.

"I want a bicycle... a pink one." She said her voice gaining a little confidence.

Tommy looked at Collin and he nodded.

"How about after breakfast we get a piece of paper and you can make a list of things you want for your birthday, how does that sound?" Collin asked. "Sound good?"

"Yes…" her little voice was filled with excitement.

After breakfast Nicole went to get paper and a pencil but Darryl stopped Collin before he left the kitchen.

"Why didn't you tell us, her birthday was coming up?" he asked

Collin looked ashamed "I didn't want to be any more of a burden; I would have found a way to do something for her."

"Collin we're pack now." Adam said as he stepped up to join the conversation "We take care of our own, celebrating your daughter's birthday is no burden to us, believe me she will have a good birthday, between the pack and Kyle this won't be a birthday she'll soon forget."

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Nicole's birthday came around and the pack had the house decorated in pink and white, a tiered cake was set up with "Happy Birthday Nicole" written on the bottom layer in Pink on a white background. It was decorated with pink gum paste butterflies, which seemed to be a theme throughout the party. It also had a gum paste number 5 on the top to proclaim that it was her fifth birthday along with five candles spread as evenly as possible around the bottom tier. The cake itself had been purchased by Kyle from one of the most high end bakeries in the tri-cities. It was a naturally flavored strawberry sponge cake filled with fresh, all natural strawberry buttercream. He had it made this way after finding out that Nicole loved anything strawberry. The outside was coated in a thin layer of vanilla buttercream before being covered in a thin layer of fondant.

Outside in the yard a bounce house was being set up as the first guests arrived for the party.

Nicole had quite a few friends and Collin had called several parents to invite them for the party. He had explained that he lived at the Hauptman house which made a few parents a little nervous given Hauptman was a known werewolf. He set their minds to rest with an explanation of the protective instincts of a werewolf that meant the children would be perfectly safe.

They were expecting around 10 families that day not counting those that were pack which brought the number up to 50 people total.

Collin had been nervous about the day but now he was so relieved that she was getting her first proper birthday party that she would recall. The day went spectacularly, with her getting a princess training bicycle, along with helmet and pads. Several new dresses from various pack members. Then there was Kyle who gave her a princess backpack that was filled to capacity with reading books, coloring books, crayons, games and puzzles all centered around a theme of princesses, along with several outfits from a boutique near where he lived. All in all Collin felt Kyle had spent far too much on them, to which Kyle replied that spoiling her was a pleasure, and that as one of the most prominent divorce lawyers in Washington State he could more than afford to splurge on a little girl's birthday.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Right before the full moon Tommy was reunited with two of the many people he had been forced to deceive. They had been shocked to learn he was alive, but, to everyone's relief, they forgave him.

During the full moon they learned that the Adam's mate, Mercy, was pregnant with her first child. After that Hayley returned to her small business in California and, Tommy's adopted daughter, Kira moved from her New York apparent into Tommy's house citing she could no longer afford the rent and that it wasn't that safe for her to live in the complex alone while a burglar is targeting residents. The pack couldn't find reason to argue with her logic so they welcomed her as much as they did any child of a wolf in the pack.

The first Sunday after Kira moved in she was invited to join them for Sunday breakfast. She reluctantly came.

Nicole was doing her usual cruising around greeting pack members she knew and introducing herself to the ones she didn't, which were growing fewer in number every week, then she came across Kira, who greeted her very nicely and began to talk with her about music, which he found out was Kira's passion. He knew Nicole liked to listen to music and was considering getting her some form of music or dance lessons when she got a little bit older and finances improved a little more.

Kira sat with Nicole as the meal was served and it became clear that Nicole liked Kira almost as much as she seemed to like Tommy.

Collin was becoming more and more concerned about the situation with Tommy as it became clear that Hayley, the woman that had left a few days earlier, was the woman Tommy's wolf had chosen to be their mate. Collin figured it was only a matter of time before they said goodbye to Tommy and he feared it would break Nicole's heart to say goodbye to Tommy.

He tried not to listen in as Tommy explained to Adam that he was having more and more trouble staying in Washington with Hayley in California as he wanted her with him. It was hard for him to sleep for his wolf's mourning his mate. A cold knot formed in Collin's stomach, he saw where this was going, Tommy was gearing up to say goodbye and go to his mate.

 **To Be Continued…**


	7. Chapter 7

Collin watched as Nicole said goodbye to Tommy and Kira and held her as she cried in his arms. He could see that Tommy wasn't taking her reaction well. Tommy was a kind heart who hated that his leaving was having such a negative effect on Nicole.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

It took a few weeks but Nicole was soon able to overcome her heartbreak just in time to be surprised with a new pack member named Nicolette Garza.

Nicolette was an interesting woman. A former Navy medic, Nicolette was blinded in Iraq then forced to undergo the change so that experiments could be ran on her to test drugs for effectiveness on werewolves. Adam had commented that given her situation her control and use of her senses was shockingly well developed. She had answered that by saying that she had no choice but to learn to use her senses or starve to death.

Nicolette fit in well with the pack and Collin noticed that she and Samuel hit it off quite well, though he wasn't so concerned about Nicole given the fact that Nicole and Nicolette didn't hit it off nearly as well as she had with Tommy. He was concerned about her friendship with Samuel being affected but once again they were never as close as she was with Tommy, who she would follow like a puppy on a leash for as long as he would allow it and pout when he told her no. He noticed that Tommy sometimes had a hard time resisting Nicole's pouting but he forced himself to resist when he had to.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((MT))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

School ended and Nicole started to notice that Mercy was gaining weight just as they started to get ready to move into their first true home since leaving her mother behind.

"Daddy, why is Ms. Mercy's tummy getting big like that?" she asked one day as he drove her to school.

"Ms. Mercy is going to have a baby." GE replied

Nicole seemed to think about that.

"Where do babies come from, daddy?" she asked.

Collin's mind screeched to a halt and he had to slam on his brakes to keep from running a stop sign. Nicole gave him a look that seemed to be asking if she said something wrong.

"It's okay, sweetheart, you just surprised me." he assured her.

He started driving again as he tried to formulate an explanation that her young mind would understand. He swallowed a knot in his throat and in a calm confident voice began to speak again

"Where do babies come from? Well, sweetheart, that might be a little hard for you to understand right but I'll try to explain it to you the best way I know how. You see, sweetie, boys and girls have different private parts that fit sort of like a lock and key. You know how daddy uses a key to open the door? It's like that. When two grown-ups love each other and want to have children, they have something called sex. That's where the private parts act like a lock and key, but instead of opening a door, it can make a baby and the baby grows inside the mommy's tummy, where it's safe and warm, until it's ready to be born." He explained to her.

He could see the wheels turning in her young mind as he pulled into the parking lot of their new apartment building. Then, as if satisfied with that answer Nicole changed the subject.

"Daddy, why didn't mommy love me?"

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Collin felt his heart shatter as she asked that question. She didn't understand death, didn't remember her mother much less how delighted her mother had been to have a baby girl. He wanted to curse the addiction that took his wife from him and cry for his daughter who now suffered because of it.

"Nicole your mommy loved you very much." He said trying his best to keep the tears from his voice.

"Then why isn't she here with us?" Nicole asked innocently as she couldn't understand why her mother wouldn't be there if she loved her so much.

"Mommy didn't have a choice, she had to leave... She didn't want to go." Collin said trying to spare her the truth that her mother likely took her own life. He didn't want to taint her memory of her mother like that, didn't want to have to attempt to explain drug addiction and suicide to his daughter who was barely five years old. He didn't want to ever tell her but he knew she would learn eventually about the drugs and the real reason her mother was removed from her life and about her subsequent death but not now not while she was so young and innocent, she would never understand.

They got out of the car and Warren greeted them on the way to their apartment. He could tell something was bothering Collin but didn't ask in front of Nicole, he figured he would get the chance to ask the younger werewolf later on when they could steal a moment alone. He feared it had something to do with Collin's late wife and the mother of his young daughter. He wondered if the daughter asked about her mom, he had a feeling Mercy's pregnancy might bring up a lot of questions in a five year old child that would be difficult for a father to answer even without the death of a parent looming over the family.

It didn't take long to get the house set up with a dozen or so werewolves working as a team to get things set up and organized. Collin had been shocked at how orderly and efficient this particular pack was, he figured it was due to the fact that the alpha was former military and that he ran it kind of like a military unit.

Collin put Nicole down for a nap, which was unusual for her but they had been unusually busy and Nicole was giving him every sign that she needed one in the worst way possible. He was then surprised when he found Warren in the kitchen waiting for him.

"What's on your mind?" Warren asked "I saw you were upset when you got here."

"Nicole asked about her mom… thought her mom didn't love her and that was why she wasn't around." Collin said.

Warren gave a sympathetic look.

"It can't be easy to explain a concept like death to a child as young as Nicole." Warren sighed. "How did your wife die, if I may ask?"

"OxyContin overdose." Collin said looking away in shame. He hated admitting that his wife had been an addict, hated even worse that there had been nothing he could have done to save her from that particular demon.

Warren gave a low whistle; that was bad.

"My wife, Lorna, was in a car wreck when Nicole was about 2 and was prescribed OxyContin for the pain, unfortunately she became addicted to it and it was a downward spiral from there because no one could convince her she had a problem." He sighed "My last resort was to take Nicole away to someplace where she would be safe from it all."

"That couldn't have been easy for you." Warren sighed.

"It was extremely hard, but I guess I was lucky, her mom and I weren't mated we were just married. It would have been harder to deal with this had we been mated." Collin sighed as he leaned on the kitchen counter. "She died the day after Nicole's third birthday and... and they don't know if the overdose was accidental or intentional... we may never know the truth about it."

"I... I wish I knew what to tell you." Warren admitted, he thought of Adam and Jesse, but Jesse's mom was at least still alive which couldn't be said for Collin's wife.

"Maybe one day you'll find a mate that will accept your little family and she'll learn what it's like to have a mommy." Warren sighed, "Until then just keep your head up and remember the pack will always be here for you."

"Thanks Warren, you don't know how comforting it is to have a pack to back me up with her."

Collin looked up to see Aurielle standing there with bags from the local grocery store. Adam and Mercy had also brought grocery bags in had already started stocking the pantry and refrigerator with food.

Collin opened his mouth to speak but Adam cut him off with a glare and a quick "No member of MY pack will go hungry" and Collin decided arguing with his alpha was not a wise decision then started to help put things away.

"Adam... I... I never expected this much help from you." Collin admitted overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the pack at large.

"I know... but you brought a light into this pack it hasn't had in a while, Nicole... this pack needed a purpose, yes we have our submissive to give us some of that but... but she gives us so much more purpose... everyone wants to see her safe and wants to nourish her mentally and physically. That is what it's like to have a child in a pack... yeah a lot of werewolves aren't too keen on humans but... but a child is a different thing all together, it awakens our instincts to protect and once we bond with them there is no chance we will let them be harmed."

Collin smiled as they finished putting the groceries away and he started to look at the pack members that were still there. He had never imagined his life taking this turn before but he would be forever grateful that it did and that he had such a wonderful new pack to love on his family and make caring for his daughter so much easier.

 **The End**


End file.
